FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT LAGUNA CANYON

The jury is still out on the impact of the state's decision to dump certain criminals into the county's lap, according to Orange County 5th District Supervisor Pat Bates. About 3,500 nominally nonviolent felons will be transferred to the county's jurisdiction, to be jailed or put on probation, Bates said in her recent State of the County report to Laguna Canyon Conservancy. The state presumably will compensate the county. "We are supposed to get $26,000, but we all know the state doesn't always come through with its promises," said Bates, who's now in her second and final term as a supervisor.

More public parking is on the way in downtown Laguna on what is now a city employee parking lot at the intersection of Laguna Canyon Road and Forest Avenue. The 130-space lot will be used until a proposed Village Entrance project -- the components of which have not yet been determined -- can be built. The parking lot project, approved Sept. 28 by the planning commission, is expected to be in place by spring 2007, pending approval from City Council.

Laguna Beach’s 2008 Pageant of the Masters production, “All the World’s a Stage,” is looking for people of all sizes and ages to volunteer as cast members for next summer’s show. The annual event features “tableaux vivants,” or living pictures, with people posing as subjects in famous paintings. The casting call will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. Jan. 5; 2 to 5 p.m. Jan. 6; 7 to 9 p.m. Jan. 10 backstage at the Irvine Bowl, 650 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach.

-- Paul Clinton State Historic Preservation Officer Knox Mellon is scheduled to talk about the future of Crystal Cove on Monday in Laguna Beach. Mellon, along with several other state employees, will make a presentation about the challenges of developing a project in a historic district. The 46 rustic cottages on the beach were placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 as one of the few remaining examples of "vernacular architecture" along the state coastline.

Suzie Harrison Understanding everything that's going on in Laguna Beach's art world can be quite daunting, especially when it comes to the three major summer art festivals and the world-famous pageant. But all it takes is a little information, and a small world of art opens. The Pageant of the Masters, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary, creates life-sized "living pictures" of classical and contemporary paintings, sculptures and other famous works of art. This summer's show is titled "Seasons."

Laguna Beach is gearing up for the talk of the town: its summer festival season. The city’s three summer art festivals are all set on the same stretch of Laguna Canyon Road. Day-trippers could easily visit all three, and have time to catch the famous Pageant of the Masters in the evening. FESTIVAL OF ARTS The grande dame of the summer shows, the Festival of Arts recently celebrated its 75th birthday; its sister event, the Pageant of the Masters, is holding its own Diamond Jubilee this year.

Paul Clinton Two people's lives ended Friday evening in a vicious head-on collision on the northbound side of the San Joaquin Hills toll road. A man driving the wrong direction on the toll road caused the 6:18 p.m. crash, authorities said. It left the road strewn with tires, bumpers and the ripped-apart hulks of the three cars involved. The toll road from the Laguna Canyon Road to the Newport Coast Drive offramp was closed for several hours, authorities said.